offutt



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

. J. E. OFIE'UTT.

ADJUSTING LEVER FOR TEDD'ERS, &0.

No. 356,371. F

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. E. OPFUTT.

ADJUSTING LEVER FOR TEDDERS. 8L0.

N0. 356,871. Patented Jan. 18,1887.

WITNESSES @581; /f/m ymd M h M UN I'IE *rArns PATENT tries.

JOSEPH E. OFEUTT, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN HITHOMAS, OFSAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,371, dated January18, 1887.

Application filcd March 4, 1886. Serial No 194,007. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. OFFUTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio,

have invented certain new and useful Ima tedder) has for its objects,first, to provide an adjusting-lever for adjusting the tedderframe todifferent positions with respect to the ground, and a spring actingbetween the lever and the tedder-frame and arranged in such a manner asto resist the lever and to permit of the adjustment of the lever, so asto vary the position of the tedder-frame without changing the yieldingcapacity of the spring; second, to provide an adjusting-lever properwith a fixed locking-segment, a movable lock ingsegment with which thelever has adjustable connection,and a spring which resists the leverthrough the locking-segment and does not change its yielding capacity bychange of the position of the lever.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of'this specification, andon which like reference-letters indicate corresponding features, Figure1 represents a perspective view of my improved lever entire; Fig. 2,side and edge elevations of the movable lockingsegment; Fig. 3, a sideelevation ofthefixed locking-segment; Fig. 4, a plan view of the fixedlocking-segment; Fig. 5, a side elevation of 40 the lever entire,showing a modified form of spring; and Fig. 6, a side elevation of thelever entire, showing also its application to the thills andtedder-frame of a hay-tedder, the thills and tedder-frame being insection. 4 5 In Letters Patent on improvements in combined hay rakes andtedders, dated March 16, 1886, No. 337,891, granted John H. Thomas andmyself, is set forth an adjusting-lever and a yielding connectionbetween the tedderframe and adjusting-lever,which accomplishes curved toagree with the sweep described by 100 the same end, or substantially theend, accomplished by the present improvements; but in that device thespring is itself supported by the levera movable point-whilein thisimprovement the spring is supported upon a 5 5 point other than thelever, preferably a fixed point, and herein lies the difference inprinciple between the two devices; yet both are capable of reaching thesame results.

I shall now describe my invention in its ap- 6o plication to tedders.

The letter A designates the tedder-frame proper of a tcdding-maehine,constructed and mounted upon a suitable running-gear in theordinarymanner, and the letter B designates the cross-pieces of the thills,which are also of usual construction. 7

To the thills B, in any convenient manner, is secured the fixedlocking-segment O, and two legs or members, D, depend therefrom, and

constitute at their place of meeting a convenient fulcrum-point for thelever proper. At or near one extremity of the segment it is providedwith notches E, which serve to secure the detent of the lever when themachine 7 5 is not in operation.

The letter F refers to the adj usting-lever proper, the same consisting,preferably, of a metallic bar fashioned into a handle at one end andprovided with a spring-detent, G E. This lever is pivoted at someconvenient point, preferablyat I, to the legs D,and hasa shorter arm, J,and to thisphorter arm J is connected the tedder-frame by a link, K. Itwill be seen, then, that by adjusting the lever back 8 5 and forth theposition of thetedder-frame with respect to the ground will be changed;but in order tomaintain the said frame in the different adjustedpositions, yet in a yielding manner and in a manner which will yieldequally 0 well and free, no matter what the position may be, I providethe devices now to be described.

The letter L refers to the movable segment, consisting of a barpivotally mounted upon an axis coincident or common with the axis of thelever F, that the detent carried by the lever will readily engagenotches in the said movable segment.

The letter M designates a rod, preferably the movable segment, andconnected at one or both ends to the fixed segment, or to some otherfixed point, and encircled by a spiral spring, N, which bears with oneend against the movable segment and the other end against the fixedsegment, and operates to resist any weight or strain tending to draw thelever toward the spring. It will be seen that by adjusting the lever tothe one or the other of the notches in the movable segment the positionof the structure-the tedder-frame in thisinst-ance connected to theshorter arm will be changed, but that the tension of the spring is notatfeeted by this adjustment, so that the yielding capacity of the springremains the same,whatever be the position of the lever with respect toits movable segment. It is obvious that the success of the inventiondoes not depend upon the character of spring employed, as any yieldingdevice will answer the purpose, if properly arranged; nor is itessential that it be guided by a rod or be supported by the fixedsegment. It is essential, however, that the position of the lever withrespect to the spring be capable of being changedwit-hout affecting theyielding capacity of the spring.

A spring, 0, such as shown in Fig. 5 may be employed, if desired, andmay be fixed to the fixed segment or to some other point, and adapted tobear against the movable segment. Any number of notches may be made inthe segments.

The reason for allowing the tedder-frame to yield freely and uniformlyirrespective of its relative adjustment to the ground is fully explainedin the Letters Patent above alluded to, and therefore need not berepeated here.

Of course, while my invention is peculiarly useful in connection withhay-tedders, I do 'not wish to be understood as limiting myselfto itsuse when combined with a tedder.

As shown in Figs. land 3, I have provided the fixed segment with a slot,M, and the movable segment with a bolt, N, having athumbnut, whereby themovable segment and the lever through the segment may be firmly lockedat any point along the fixed segment if, for any cause, it should bedesirable to do-so, as would be the case when the improvement hereindescribed is used in a combined hay rake and tedder, the lever being setfor raking purposes. Instead of the slot M, a series of holes, M, may bemade in the fixed segment, and a pin, N, passed through the movablesegment and into one or the other of the holes, as seen in Fig. 5.

The letter A in Fig. 1 designates the pivoted bar connected with thelever, and illustrative of another use to which the lever may beapplied, the bar being connected with any device which it may be desiredto adjust.

the spring with respect to which thelever has adjustable connection andwhich the spring resists, whereby the position of the lever rela tive tothis device may be changed without changing the position of said devicerelative to the spring, and therefore without affecting the yieldingcapacity of the spring.

2. The combination, with a tedder-frame and a thill-frame, of a pivotedadj usting-lever ing-lever and a movable segment with which the leverengages, of a spring having a fixed support at one end and resistingsaid segment at the other, whereby the position of the lever withrespect-to the segment may be changed without altering the position ofthe segment itself, and without affecting the yielding capacity of thespring.

4. The combination, with a tedder-frame and a thill-frame, of a pivotedadjusting-lever and a movable segment mounted upon one of them, and thelever connected with the other of said frames, and a spring having afixed support at one end and resisting the movable segment at the other,whereby the-position of the lever relative to the movable segment andthe tedder-frame may be changed without affecting the yielding capacityof the spring.

5. The combination, with the pivoted adjusting-lever, a movable segmentwith which the lever engages, and afixed segment to which the lever andthe movable segment are pivoted, of a spring supported by the fixedsegment at one end and resisting the movable segment at the other,whereby the position of the lever may be changed with respect to themovable segment, and without affecting the yielding capacity of thespring.

6. The combination, with a tedder -frame and a thill-frame, of a fixedsegment mounted upon one of them, a movable segment and a pivotedadjusting-lever, both connected to the fixed segment and the lever tothe other of said frames, a spring supported by the fixed segment at oneend and resisting the movable segment at the other end, whereby theposition of the lever with respect to the movable segment and thetedder-frame may be changed without affecting the yielding capacity ofthe spring.

7. The combination, with a pivoted adj usting-lever and a movablesegment with which it engages, of a fixed segment having dependingmembers to which the lever and the movable segment are pivoted, a rodsupported by the fixed segment, and a spring coiled about said rod andresisting the movable segment,

whereby the position of the lever may be changed with respect to themovable segment 5 without affecting the position of the movable segmentrelative to the fixed segment,and without altering the yielding capacityof the spring.

8. The combination, with the tedder-frame i0 and a thill-frame, of afixed segment mounted upon the thill-frame, an adj usting-lever, and

a movable segment with which the lever engages, both pivotally mountedto the said fixed segment, a link connecting the tedder-frame I5 withthe lever, a rod supported by the fixed segment, and a spring coiledabout the rod and resisting the movable segment, whereby the position ofthe lever with respect to the movable segment and the tedder-frame maybe 2o changed without affecting the yielding capacity of the spring.

9. An adiusting-lever consisting of the following elements: a pivotedlever proper having an arm, a fixed segment, a movable segment withwhich the lever engages, a guide- 25 rod supported by the fixed segment,and a spring carried by the rod, one end bearing on some fixed point andthe other resisting the movable segment, whereby the position of thelever with respect to the movable segment 0 Witnesses:

A. N YEATMAN, CHASE STEWART.

